feels like it's been forever
by chalantness
Summary: She hadn't anticipated the job would take as long as it did and a large part of her wants to kick Fury's ass for not warning her.


**Title: **_feels like it's been forever  
_**Rating:** T  
**Word Count:** 800+  
**Characters:** Steve/Natasha  
**Summary:** She hadn't anticipated the job would take as long as it did and a large part of her wants to kick Fury's ass for not warning her.  
**Prompt:** media. tumblr. moc/ tumblr _ ma1zz3HqLq1qhxhiz. gif (switch "moc" to "com" and delete the spaces)

**feels like it's been forever (since you've been gone)  
**

It's been over a week since she's been home.

She hadn't anticipated the job would take as long as it did and a large part of her wants to kick Fury's ass for not warning her. Not like she would've said no or anything, but a little heads up would've been nice. Maybe before it wouldn't have mattered as much since all she would be coming home to was the agency and more jobs.

But now she has a real home waiting for her and people who want her back just as much as she wants to get back. Prague was beautiful and all, but she just misses everyone.

She misses _him_.

By the time her plane lands, it's the middle of the night and the airport is practically deserted.

She didn't tell anyone that she was getting in tonight, mostly because she didn't find out herself until today and by the time she got on the plane she forgot to make any calls. She doesn't mind, though, because it's not like she can't get her own cab or anything.

Except there's a guy waiting for her, and she knows he's there for her because there are few people Tony Stark will ever _wait_ for, and she's one of them.

"How did you know I was in the country again?"

"Your face popped up on my screen the moment you boarded," he informs, taking the bag from her shoulder. "It's not that hard to hack into international airport securities."

She rolls her eyes. Yeah, she probably should've guessed. "I didn't realize you'd miss me enough to have JARVIS keep watch."

"Pepper is the one that missed you," he corrects, the corner of his lip twitching upward to smirk. "Though, I do miss waking up to your chocolate chip pancakes."

"You sure know how to make a girl feel special, Stark," Natasha mutters, and the first time since boarding the plane, she allows herself to feel the exhaustion she's been holding back since the beginning of the week that otherwise would've ruined her performance. "Can you take me home?"

Tony allows his sincerest smile of the night. "Of course."

... ...

The limo waits in front of her house until she's gotten the door open, and Tony nods at her before signaling the driver to take him home.

It's dark, but she doesn't bother turning on any lights.

She knows her way around the house and even if she didn't, it's not like the dark's ever stopped her before. She locks the door behind her before walking to the end of the hallway and into the master. She leaves her bag right by the door – she'll deal with unpacking it in the morning – and kicks her heels off before tugging down the zipper on her side.

"…'Tasha?"

She lets the dress fall to her feet as she smiles at the figure lying in bed. "Hey."

He rubs his eyes with the heel of his hand. "I didn't know you were coming back today," he admits, shifting to sit up.

"Don't get up," she tells him softly, and he cracks a sleepy smile at her as he lies back down. She pulls the top drawer of the dresser open and grabs a slip, sliding it over her head and tugging it down herself as she walks over to the bed. "Sorry I woke you."

"I like that you did," he mumbles as she pulls back the covers and slides underneath, pulling them over herself. "If I'd known you were coming today, I would've picked you up."

"I know you would've. I just forgot to call before I boarded," she explains. He rolls his head on the pillow to look at her and she leans over and presses a kiss to where his neck meets his shoulder. He hums contentedly. "Don't worry about it, though. JARVIS saw me on the flight and Tony drove me here from the airport."

He makes a noise of surprise. "Remind me to thank Tony later."

She laughs faintly. "Okay. Go to sleep now, Steve."

"I can't now that you're home." Even as he says it, though, he lets out a soft yawn. He sounds as tired as she feels. "I've really missed you."

"I've really missed you, too."

She bites her lower lip a little and slides her hand over the covers between them, laying her arm over his a little. She can feel him watching her as she moves her hand against his, making him uncurl it as she slips her fingers between his. She was never a fan of holding hands until Steve grabbed onto hers once and she loved how safe it felt, how secure.

Steve squeezes their fingers together a little and doesn't say anything, and she lets her eyes fall closed.

She loves being home.


End file.
